State senators and representatives from around Oregon dropped in on Malheur County recently to learn about regional issues and take a look at the construction of the Treasure Valley Reload Center.
The tour was organized by state Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, and state Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, ahead of a special legislative meeting in September to consider giving $3 million more in public money to the rail project.
The visiting legislators also got a tour of Treasure Valley Community College and spent time talking with local residents during an evening function.
Oregon lawmakers gather for a meeting with the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development board, led by the board’s executive director Shawna Peterson, on the morning of Aug. 23. Here, Peterson presents data highlighting the difference between new home construction in Malheur County (yellow) vs. Payette County in Idaho (green). The meeting kicked off the start of a larger tour of Malheur County led by Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Malheur County Judge Dan Joyce and Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, listen to a presentation by Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development board executive director Shawna Peterson during a Tuesday morning meeting at Treasure Valley Community College on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Oregon lawmakers and border board members view a planning and zoning map of Ontario during a Tuesday morning meeting with the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development board during a two-day tour of Malheur County for visiting lawmakers on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, and other Oregon lawmakers kick off a two-day tour of Malheur County with a Tuesday morning border board meeting at Treasure Valley Community College on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Oregon lawmakers gather for a tour of the Treasure Valley Reload Center construction site and hear from local leaders on the project during a two-day tour of Malheur County on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Rail spurs and other building materials lay on the unfinished grounds of the Treasure Valley Reload Center on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Grant Kitamura, president of the Malheur County Development Corp., and two members of the project’s construction team watch as a dump truck drives by on the construction site of the Treasure Valley Reload Center on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, and Malheur County Judge Dan Joyce during a tour of the Treasure Valley Reload Center on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Oregon lawmakers depart from the construction site of the Treasure Valley Reload Center north of Nyssa after a brief tour of the facility on Aug. 23 as part of a larger two-day tour of Malheur County for visiting lawmakers. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Attendees of a meet-and-greet with Oregon lawmakers and other officials chat amongst themselves on Aug. 23 at the Vo-Tech Building at Treasure Valley Community College. The meet-and-greet was part of the legislators’ larger tour of Malheur County. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Attendees stop by the freshments table during a Aug. 23 meet-and-greet with Oregon lawmakers as part of the legislators’ tour of Malheur County. The meet-and-greet was held at the Vo-Tech Building at Treasure Valley Community College and included tours of the facility. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Oregon lawmakers and and attendees chat during a meet-and-greet on Aug. 23 at the Vo-Tech Building at Treasure Valley Community College. The meet-and-greet was part of the legislators’ larger tour of Malheur County. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
A Treasure Valley Community College alum gives a tour of the school’s vocational-technical facility during a meet-and-greet with Oregon lawmakers on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Local leaders and other attendees filled the halls of Treasure Valley Community College’s Vo-Tech building during a meet-and-greet with visiting Oregon lawmakers on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)
Malheur County Commissioner Ron Jacobs and Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, chat during a meet-and-greet event at Treasure Valley Community College on Aug. 23. (The Enterprise/CYNTHIA LIU)